Field faculty members Christina Feliciana, Christine Scudder, and Robert Watts contributed chapters to a new school social work textbook. Several Cal alums and former faculty also joined this venture, including Robert Ayasse, Heather Graham, Francesca Osuna, Michelle Rainer, and Keshia Williams.
School Social Work: Engaging Social Justice and Racial Equity from Practitioners' Perspectives is a compendium of articles written by a diverse group of experienced school social work practitioners and educators. The authors combined their collective practice wisdom with research-derived evidence to provide practical guidance to both new and experienced school social workers. They address the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, Performance Expectations for the Pupil Personnel Services Credential in School Social Work and Child Welfare and Attendance as well as the Council on Social Work Education, EPAS Competencies by focusing on the needs for social justice and equity for the most vulnerable children in our schools.
While the focus is mainly on the diverse needs of children in California and the legal codes that impact them, this material will be very informative to school social work practitioners across the country. The book addresses a range of topics from trauma-informed care, alternative disciplinary practices, group work, ethics, attendance, suicide and psychological crisis response, and family, teacher and community engagement. Furthermore, the articles focus on various vulnerable and underserved groups of children, including Native Americans, youth in need of Special Education, LGBTQ, foster and unhoused youth, pre-school children, newcomers, and gang-affiliated youth. The intent is to help school social workers address the systemic needs of schools to create a more equitable and nurturing learning environment for all children.
